欢乐美语:On the Nature Trail 走向大自然

INTRODUCTION¹ TO ACT I

Today on TUNING² IN THE U.S.A., Richard and his wife Marilyn are visiting one of America’s national parks-Glacier³ National Park- in the northwestern state of Montana. They are taking a tour of the park on horseback with a guide and a group of other visitors. They admire the scenery-the tall trees, the streams, the mountains, and the lovely wild flowers. When Marilyn asks the guide about a particular wildflower, another park visitor has the answer.

Act I

Mike: All right, folks⁴. Before we saddle⁵ up and begin our horseback trip through the park, let me introduce myself. I’m Mike Swenson, and I’m your guide this morning. Let me tell you a few things about Glacier National Park. It’s our most northern park outside Alaska, [His voice grows softer as he rides away.] and there are more than two hundred lakes and fifty glaciers⁶.

[Later, Marilyn and Richard arc⁷ both on horseback.]

Marilyn: Richard, look at the snow on top of the mountains!

Richard: It’s hard to believe, isn’t it, Marilyn? Snow. And it’s so sunny and warm down here. [He takes photographs.]

Mike: [He speaks to Richard.] That’s a fancy-looking camera you have there.

Ri: I’m a professional⁸ photographer, Mike.

Mike: There’s lots of wildlife in this park.

Ri: What kind of wildlife? What should I look for?

Mi: Moose, elk⁹, black bear, eagles. [calling] Okay, everybody. We’re going to stop and take a little rest right here. [He gets off his horse.] Can I help you get down, Mrs. Bella?

Mrs. Bella: Thank you, Mike.

Marilyn: Excuse me. What is the name of that little pink flower?

Mi: We call it a calypso. But I don’t know much more than that. Why don’t you ask Mrs. Bella? She knows all about wildflowers. She and Mr. Bella are regular visitors to the park. They come every summer to spend a couple of weeks with us.

Mrs. Bella: To answer your question, young lady, the calypso is a kind of orchid¹⁰.

Ma: I love the name. I’d like to pick one.

Mr: Oh, no, please! The National Park Service asks you not to pick the wildflowers.

Ma: Why? There are so many of them.

Mr: True, but there are Hundreds of thousands of visitors to park every year. And if each one picked a flower, they would soon disappear.

Ma: I guess I don’t know much about wildflowers, Mrs. Bella.

Mr: If you’re interested in learning¹¹ more about them, I can show you some excellent books on the subject.

Ma: That’s very kind of you.

Mr: My husband and I have spent probably half our lives looking down at our feet.

Ma: [she laughs.] You mean looking for… unusual types of flowers?

Mr: Exactly. Perhaps you would like to stop by the campground this afternoon? We could have a glass of lemonade, and both of us could learn more about the calypso.

Ma: I would enjoy that very much!

Mr: Then I’ll see you at the campground!

INTRODUCTION TO ACT II

This time on TUNING IN THE U.S.A., Richard and Marilyn Stewart are in a campground at Glacier National Park. They are paying a visit to Mr. Bella, an older, retired¹² couple. For several months each year, the Bellas enjoy traveling in a motor¹³ home. For them, it’s the perfect way to travel because it offers all the comforts of home.

Act II

Marilyn: There’s the campground. I can see it through the trees. Mrs. Bella wrote her campsite number on a piece of paper. I have it somewhere. Oh! Here it is.

Richard: Hmm. Marilyn, can you imagine Mr. and Mrs. Bella sleeping in a tent? They must be seventy years old!

Ma: [she laughs.] Oh, no, Richard! The Bellas aren’t really “camping out.” They don’t sleep in a tent. They sleep in their own bed.

Ri: Their own bed? How can they do that?

Ma: The Bellas travel in a motor home.

Ri: Oh. They call them Rvs, don’t they?

Ma: Yes. RV stands for “recreational vehicle¹⁴.”

Ri: Sort of a house on wheels.

Ma: A motor home. Mrs. Bella says that they feel like they take their home with them. They probably have a bathroom, a kitchen, a bedroom, a washer, and a dryer¹⁵.

Richard: It’s hard to imagine. But then. I’ve never been inside an RV.

Ma: Neither have I. [A dog barks.]

Ri: I guess we’ll see the real thing in a minute.

Mrs. Bella: [she talks to her dog.] That’s enough, Skippy!

Ma: [she approaches.] Hello!

Mr: Marilyn and Richard, Welcome! I’m so glad you could come.

Ri: Thanks, Mrs. Bella. It was kind of you to invite us.

Mr: Shall we go inside? I made a pitcher¹⁶ of lemonade, and I have a number of wildflower books to show you.

Ma: [she enters the motor home.] This is our first time inside a motor home.

Mr: I think you’ll find it very comfortable.

Ri: It’s really big in here.

Mr: It’s about thirty feet long. As you can see, there’s a kitchen and a living room, and…in here there’s a bath with a laundry¹⁷. Let me go get my husband. He’s in the bedroom watching television. [She calls.] Harold! The Stewarts are here!

Ri: Television! Marilyn, this is just like a house!

Ma: Look at their library! And all these books on wildflowers.

Ri: Here’s a collection of family photographs on the wall. This really looks a home, doesn’t it?

Ma: Yes.

Mr: Harold will be out in just a second.

Ri: We were just admiring your family photos. Here we are in the middle of a great national park, and you’re right at home.

Mr: Oh, Yes! We can carry our home with us! So, make yourselves at home. Now I’ll go and get that lemonade.

1 introduction   

n.(to)介绍；传入，引进；导言，导论，绪论

参考例句：

• The introduction tells you how to use the book.引言告诉你怎样使用这本书。
• A letter of introduction will ensure you an interview.凭一封介绍信准保会接待你。

2 tuning   

n.调谐，调整，调音v.调音( tune的现在分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• They are tuning up a plane on the flight line. 他们正在机场的飞机跑道上调试一架飞机。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The orchestra are tuning up. 管弦乐队在定弦。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

4 folks   

n.人们；父母；亲人；家属；人们( folk的名词复数 )；亲属；大伙儿；民间音乐

参考例句：

• Ask yourself what the folks in Peoria will think of it. 想一想皮奥里亚的人会如何看待这件事。
• When good folks meet, evil men keep their distance. 好人相逢，恶人远离。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

5 saddle   

n.鞍，车座，山脊，拖具；vt.装以马鞍，使负担；vi.装马鞍

参考例句：

• The bicycle saddle is too high for this child.这辆自行车车座对这孩子来说太高了。
• We got the order to saddle up just after dawn.我们得到命令,天一亮就要上好马鞍。

6 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

7 arc   

n.弧形（物），弧，电弧，弧光

参考例句：

• The sun appears to move in an arc across the sky.太阳看起来在天空中以弧形运行。
• The rainbow described an arc in the dark sky.彩虹在昏暗的天空划出了一道圆弧。

8 professional   

adj.专业的；职业的；n.专业人员；职业运动员

参考例句：

• He is a professional tennis player.他是一名职业网球运动员。
• I need a professional to sort out my finances.我需要专业人士为我管理财务。

9 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

10 orchid   

n.兰花，淡紫色

参考例句：

• The orchid is a class of plant which I have never tried to grow.兰花这类植物我从来没种过。
• There are over 35 000 species of orchid distributed throughout the world.有35,000多种兰花分布在世界各地。

11 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

12 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

13 motor   

adj.机动的，有引擎的，汽车的；n.发动机，马达，汽车；v.（用引擎）驱动

参考例句：

• A washing machine is run by a small electric motor.洗衣机由一台小电动机驱动。
• The motor usually operates well.这台发动机通常运转良好。

14 vehicle   

n.车辆，交通工具，运载工具；媒介，表现手段

参考例句：

• Air is the vehicle of sound.空气是声音传播的媒介。
• The power plant burns used vehicle tyres as fuel.这家电厂用废弃轮胎作燃料。

15 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

16 pitcher   

n.(有嘴和柄的)大水罐；(棒球)投手

参考例句：

• He poured the milk out of the pitcher.他从大罐中倒出牛奶。
• Any pitcher is liable to crack during a tight game.任何投手在紧张的比赛中都可能会失常。

17 laundry   

n.洗衣店，洗衣房；已洗好的衣物，待洗衣物

参考例句：

• Please send clothes to the laundry.请把这些衣物送往洗衣店。
• There's a lot of laundry in the basket.筐子里有许多要洗的衣物。